Month: July 2006

Notes for 7/30/2006

I’m a little late for these notes, though I have been doing pretty good lately.

  • Cell phones that work on Wi-Fi networks, coming soon to a store near you?
  • Lots of great music out lately! I’m really liking Mobile’s “See Right Through Me” and Stone Sour’s “Through Glass” at the moment. But why stop there? I really like Breaking Benjamin’s “The Diary of Jane” and Lostprophets’ “Rooftops” as well.
  • I went to see Pith! earlier tonight at The Fringe Anniversary Showcase, which featured “four of the most memorable performances from the last 25 years of Fringing!” Jeff Haslam was tremendous in the play, and after it was over, Sharon even had a “Ron Peterson sighting” which I haven’t heard the end of since. The 25th anniversary of the Fringe starts August 17th here in Edmonton.
  • It’s official – .NET has beaten J2EE. Though I’m a big .NET fan, I find these little battles kinda funny.
  • Does anyone know anything about HDR photography? I was eager to try it out, so I made a quick stab at it, but I think this is one effect that will take quite a bit of practice.
  • BlogTalkRadio looks like an interesting new mixture of blogging with audio.

Wake up Microsoft – get BitTorrent!

Post ImageEven though Microsoft has lots of money, sometimes there are better ways to solve problems than just throwing cash at them. It seems Microsoft is bent on only delivering software from their own servers, when really, they could be using BitTorrent. It would keep them from making stupid decisions like this:

Microsoft plans next week to charge a nominal fee for Office 2007 Beta 2 downloads, in a move that runs counter to the practice held by most software companies.

Consumers who download the 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 will be charged $1.50 per download, beginning next Wednesday at 6 p.m. PDT, a Microsoft spokeswoman said.

Wake up and smell the coffee! BitTorrent, or even services like RedSwoosh (if Microsoft felt better about paying something for the service) would eliminate these problems. And as a downloader, I’d prefer them anyway, because I can download faster in most cases.

Please don’t pay the $1.50 to download the beta – it’ll only encourage this ridiculous behaviour!

Read: CNET News.com

Edmonton's Capital EX

Post ImageLast night Sharon and I went to Capital EX (formerly Klondike Days, or simply K Days). The ten day festival ends tomorrow, and with rain in the forecast, I would expect attendance numbers for the last two days to be quite low. The rain stayed away yesterday though!

There’s a bunch of new rides this year, and many of my favorites are now gone (like the Drop of Fear and the Zipper). We only went on the ferris wheel, which we tried to time just right, so we’d see the fireworks at the same time. Apparently it was “too windy” though, so the fireworks were cancelled! I wasn’t impressed. We did get the ferris wheel ride for free pretty much though – as we were in line to buy tickets, this guy came up and offered us his card which had 11 credits left on it (we needed twelve, hence the pretty much free) as he had just received a wrist band from someone.

New to the EX this year is Ed Fest, a big concert series with some popular musical acts like Nelly Furtado, and Sam Roberts (who closed the show last night). You can hear the music from almost anywhere, so there’s no need to buy tickets really! The stage is pretty poorly placed though, because it is so loud, it drowns out the nearby Epcor stage which has magicians and other acts. It was really annoying, though the magician we watched made the best of it.

Another thing the organizers did this year was separate the little kid rides into a completely separate section. Very smart move, as it made it much easier to walk through the midway and to the normal rides. Inside the Sportex there was a display from the Art Gallery, which looked kind of neat in the pictures promoting it, but turned out to be really unimpressive in person (it was a river made of jars). There was also the usual stuff like the military displays, and the thousands of people hawking all sorts of crap.

And what trip would be complete without mini-donuts! I absolutely love those things, and they sure were tasty yesterday. I wish there was a mini-donut street vendor near the office – I’d probably be his or her best customer!

Read: Capital EX

Opera plans for version 10

Post ImageJust weeks after officially launching Opera 9, the browser software company has already started sharing plans for the next version. Aside from the usual “we want to take market share from Internet Explorer”, one idea caught my eye:

There is also a big push in the company toward creating developer tools.

“We will be unleashing developer tools, which are still in the planning stages,” Ford said. “We want developers to use Opera as a Web development platform, using open standards. We need to keep the Web ready for open standards.”

I have been using Opera 9 as my primary browser on my tablet for about two weeks now. I find it very fast, and much easier on the memory than either Firefox or IE7. I have also been using Opera 9 on my desktop when developing websites, so any extra tools for web development would much appreciated! Opera is a great browser for testing websites, because if it works in Opera, it’ll likely work elsewhere too.

I would suggest giving Opera a try, just to see what else is out there. The only thing I still can’t get used to is clicking on the address bar to get to the Home button.

Read: CNET News.com

Sonic 102.9 FM acquired by Rogers

Post ImageAny Sonic-heads out there? Big news regarding one of Edmonton’s newest radio stations! It appears that Sonic 102.9 FM has been acquired by Rogers Communications. Details from Broadcaster Magazine via Tod Maffin:

Rogers Communications, long seeking a radio presence in Edmonton and northern Alberta, has found its channel, with a $39.8-million acquisition of OK Radio’s Sonic Radio 102.9 FM and World Radio 101.7 (CKER FM).

The deal also includes two stations and a transmitter in Fort McMurray, a station in Grande Prairie and transmitters there and in Peace River and Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

The deal will be heard by the CRTC on September 11th, though it is expected to be approved. This has got to be some kind of record! I mean Sonic only launched in 2005, and now it has been sold. I guess their former owner, OK Radio, was founded a long time ago though, back in 1973.

Hopefully the new owners don’t change too much…

Read: Broadcaster Magazine

UPDATE: You can find Sonic 102.9 on the web at http://www.sonic1029.com.

Monopoly gets with the times

Post ImageI guess nothing is sacred anymore. Remember playing Monopoly as a kid? Great game right? I dunno about you, but I remember the piles of paper money being the best part. In the newest versions of the game however, the paper money is gone:

Parker Brothers is phasing out the cash-based version’s funmoney and replacing it with an “Electronic Banking” flavor that could leave Mr. Moneybags turning his pockets inside out as his stash is replaced by a magnetic strip. New kits are completely devoid of the famous multi-colored bills; instead, you’ll find phoney Visa debit cards and a calculator / reader which keeps a running tabulation of your riches — or lack thereof. A deal was struck with Visa to design the mock cards and readers, presumably after surveys showed that 70% of adults used cash less often now than they did a decade ago (no surprise there). When asked about the dramatic change, Parker said replacing cash with plastic “showed the game was moving with the times.”

Even though I remember the paper money being extremely fun, I am glad that it’s gone. Why? Because I am a huge supporter of getting rid of cash altogether. No need to teach kids how to use a dying form of money. Bring on the smart plastic cards, cell phone wallets, or even better, implantable identity/wallet solutions!

Read: Engadget

Notes for 7/23/2006

Here are my weekly notes:

  • You really must look at this post from Jason Kottke. Everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words, yet sometimes it’s hard to find a good example. Well, here’s a great example.
  • I absolutely hate that PodcastingNews.com can’t put the important links from a story right inside their RSS feed. If it’s a full-text feed, include the damn links! If you want to make me visit your site so you can display advertising, don’t offer full-text feeds, and I won’t subscribe, it’s that simple.
  • Have you seen those “I’m a PC, I’m a Mac” commercials? I’m sure you have. This is what I think of every time I see them. How about you?
  • Looking for podcasts? Here’s yet another directory. I really wonder why there are so many directories when so few tools of creation for podcasting actually exist. Makes me want to release Podcast Spot right now! (We’re in testing now, by the way, so very close. I’m really excited to start sharing our project with everyone!)
  • This was one of the best Rocketboom episodes I have seen. Clever and funny!
  • I’m just about finished reading Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat. Great idea/theory/strategy, and the first half of the book is really excellent. I think I could probably have skipped the second half of the book though, it tends to go on and on without offering anything new.

Wilson wins 2006 Grand Prix of Edmonton

Post ImageI am so glad I got to go to the race today – it was awesome! I only wish my Dad had been able to come (we always watch the F1 races early Sunday morning together, though virtually, as he lives in the north). Despite the heat, there was a packed crowd for the race today, and it was extremely entertaining. Bourdais led the first half of the race, but Wilson proved much quicker and eventually took the checkered flag, becoming the only driver besides Bourdais and Allmendinger to win a race this season (here’s the full story).

I have to say that watching a race in person is a much different experience than watching on television. Edmonton is probably unique too, in that you can see pretty much the entire track from your seat in the grandstands. In any case, I like that you see every car go by every lap, whereas on TV you are at the mercy of the producer and camera people. It makes it much easier to see visually who is gaining on whom, who is falling behind, and who is trying too hard. Sure the television has the times and stuff, but actually seeing it is pretty cool.

The race began with the parade of drivers, each in a Ford pickup. Some of the Edmonton Eskimos also took part, with their very yellow truck bringing up the rear. There were parachuters, CF-18s, Mayor Mandel, Premier Klein, and various other dignitaries to get things underway. Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish was the grand marshall, saying the famous words with a twist – “Katherine and gentlemen, start your engines!” (as Katherine Legge is the only woman driver in the series). It was neat to see MacT and Kelly Buchburger walking down the concourse with a couple other guys – everyone would walk past, and then stop and look at the foursome, wondering if they had really just seen MacT! He’s an Edmonton celebrity to be sure.

I’ve added a few more pictures to my photoset from today. I also have about ten minutes of video, just various clips that I recorded throughout the day, so I’ll post that at some point as well. You know, so you can hear the scream of the engines for yourself!

Anyway, great race, and I hope I can go again next year!

35 Degree Racing in Edmonton

Post ImageI really wanted to go to the inaugural Grand Prix of Edmonton last year, but never got around to getting tickets. This year though, I was lucky enough to get Silver tickets for today and tomorrow. Turns out that one of my very fashionable friends got tickets from work, yet found she didn’t like watching cars go in circles, so she was nice enough to give her pass to me. Needless to say, I was pretty happy.

I arrived at the track this morning around 10, just in time to catch the morning Champ Car practice. I stayed until after the afternoon qualifying, which ended at 3. I’m amazed I lasted that long – the weather in Edmonton today was an incredible 35 degrees celsius, which as I’m sure you’re aware, is much hotter when you’re on asphalt.

It was totally worth it though! I’ve always been a big racing fan, with my favorite being Formula 1 (and there was a lot of Schumacher and Alonso gear to be seen today which was neat). I used to watch Champ Car all the time too, back when it was called CART. I still remember Jacques Villeneuve racing for the Players team in CART before switching to F1 and winning a world championship. And I remember Paul Tracy, who was one of the youngest drivers in the field. He’s now the oldest, and clearly the fan favorite here in Edmonton. He starts the race second tomorrow, despite a little accident this afternoon. Sebastien Bourdais has the pole.

Watching in person is much different than watching on television. The sounds are obviously much louder, and you can hear certain things much more clearly, such as gear shifts or brakes locking up. And while it’s easier to keep track of what’s going on when watching TV, there are some things you just can’t see properly unless you’re in person. Things like the way the cars bounce around (well if you ignore on car cameras at least), or the way the downforce keeps them on track as they go through a corner at 100 mph. Everytime the cars go through turns 13 and 14, it looks like they are going to lose control, and except for one time today, none of them did. It’s incredible.

I’ve created a new photoset with a bunch of pictures I took today, and I’ll add to it tomorrow. A couple interesting ones are this forklift carrying packages of ice to keep drinks cool no doubt, and this jet engine mounted to the back of a pickup that blows debris from the track. Maybe I’ll bring my video camera tomorrow!

Read: Edmonton GP

Lucky to be alive and yet still complaining

Post ImageNOTE: This post contains some sweeping generalizations and may offend, so read at your own risk.

I’m disappointed in and saddened by the Canadians (and those who simply have dual Canadian citizenship) coming home from the Middle East right now. Not all of them mind you, but just about every one I have seen on TV so far (and yes, the media are partially to blame here too). I admit our government was slow to start moving with evacuation plans when compared to other countries, especially those in Europe, but let’s not forget that Europe is much closer, and Canada (for whatever reason) had far more people in the area. However, slow to get going or not, I am disgusted to hear nothing but complaining from the rescued.

You’d think that being out of harms way with your life would be somehow uplifting? I can’t imagine I’d have time to complain between kissing the Canadian soil and thanking my lucky stars I was all intact. Evidently that’s not the case for those coming to Canada now. All you hear on the news is how they had to wait for long periods of time (some in camps like the one pictured), and that when they were on the ships, there was no food, people were vomiting, and they were “treated like animals.” What did you expect – a full on buffet on the cruise ship? This wasn’t a vacation, it was an evacuation. Would you have been happier to wait in Lebanon for another week while the government got it’s best chefs, waiters, and gourmet food ready for your trip? I didn’t think so. Oh and you think fourteen hours was too long of a trip? Suck it up. You’re alive. People spend longer periods of time in distress all the time. Heck, I go 24 hours without eating or sleeping all the time.

Now when I first thought about this, I figured that maybe I was being a little unfair. I mean, I’ve never been in an area where there’s an active war being fought, and I hope I never have to be. So maybe I just don’t understand what it’s like. My Grandma would though, having grown up during the Second World War in England, so I asked her. She knew the TV reports I was talking about (trust me, she watches a lot of TV) and her response (paraphrased) was: “It’s ridiculous. They should be happy to be alive. When bombs are falling, all you want to go is get out of the area, not complain about how.” So maybe I wasn’t being unfair.

The thing that really gets me though are the people who hold dual-citizenship, yet spend most of their time in Lebanon. There’s nothing wrong with that, EXCEPT that if you live there for large parts of the year, surely you should understand it comes with some risks. I mean, has the middle east ever been peaceful? Not that I can remember. If you’re living in Lebanon, or anywhere in the middle east, I think you need to understand that bad things could happen. And when they do, don’t pretend you’re a model Canadian citizen and deserve to be treated like a god. I don’t want to imply that they are less Canadian – oh to hell with it, yes I do. If you don’t live here, and you only have Canadian citizenship so that you can be evacuated from times of crisis, I think that totally sucks, and I am pissed that my tax dollars pay for that. If you choose to live in an area that constantly has violence and war, that’s your problem. Instead of paying for you to complain about the ship you’re on to come to Canada, I’d rather help out the guy on the street outside my office who asks me for money every day so he can eat.

I believe in human rights and equality for all, and every other kind of ideal you can put in front of me that has to do with people being treated like people, but when a war happens, and humans behave in ways that bring humanity down a level, I think there needs to be understanding. There needs to be understanding that war zones are difficult places to operate within. There needs to be understanding that every country in the world is trying to lease ships and planes to evacuate their citizens, all at the same time. There needs to be understanding that your country will do everything it can to save your life, and when they do, a simple thanks should suffice.